Archive By Section - Local Life

The 40th Annual North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Count will kick off at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Manhattan Plant Materials Center (PMC), Thursday, July 10, beginning at 9 a.m. There is no charge to participate in the count, but volunteers need to register by Monday, July 8, by calling 785-539-8761, to assure adequate supply of materials and handouts. Those attending should bring a sack lunch, water, bug spray, binoculars, field guides, and camera (if you have them) and dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Attendees at the event will be on their own for transportation. If special ...

The calendar and hotter temperatures tell us two things; summer is here and the Barton County Fair is about to begin! The Extension Office has been busy with 4-H families turning in pre-entry forms and picking up more barbecue tickets to sell. The pre-fair activity I have the most involvement in is the 4-H clothing judging and Fashion Revue which is set for Wednesday July 2nd.

Barbara Shirk, retired School Registered Nurse, was recognized for serving six years on the Board of Directors of ElderCare, Inc. Shirk served as Board chair during 2013-2014. Janet Splitter, Executive Director of ElderCare, Inc. presented her with a plaque in appreciation of her leadership and counsel guiding the service to older adults. Current members of the Board include: Richard VonFeldt, Terry Conard, Robin Fabricius, Sharon Manning and Elaine Simmons.

Another school year has come to an end but that does not mean that learning has to take a vacation; especially in the area of nutrition education. With kids home for the summer no doubt your grocery bill will see a noticeable increase. It would be easy to fall into the trap of stocking up on the many processed foods on the market and feeding these to your busy family. But summer is a great time to focus on the "Why, When, Where, and How" as it relates to nutrition education.

Jenna Hertel of Great Bend has been chosen to attend the 72st annual session of Sunflower Girls State on the Washburn University, Topeka campus. Sunflower Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, June 1st through 6th. Miss Hertel is the daughter of Dan and Dort Hertel.

Juanita Lumpkins of Great Bend was honored for ten years of service as a Senior Companion at the in-service meeting on May 21, in Great Bend. Lumpkins provides daily assistance and friendship to adults needing support to enable them to remain living in their homes as independently as possible.

The great part about living in a community like Great Bend is the friendliness of neighbors. Virgil Kober, Great Bend, stopped in to the Tribune office Tuesday afternoon to share some homegrown strawberries with us and show off this unusual looking specimen. This is the second year he's been growing this particular strawberry patch at 126 Kiowa Road, he said. We can state for a fact the berries had good flavor and were juicy. Virgil planned to share the odd one with his wife.

For 25 years the month of May has been designated as National Stroke Awareness Month. It seems fitting that I take a few minutes of your time and bring you up to date on the statistics and ways to lower your risks. Strokes can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. In 2008 alone, more than 133,000 Americans dies from stroke – or about one person every four minutes. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

If you're spending the holiday weekend outdoors, be extra cautious of ticks. A Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine tick expert says in some areas, you can be exposed to one a minute.

Airman Spencer Keil graduated from the Aviation Structural Mechanic School on board Naval Air Technical training Center in Pensacola, Fla. with honors on February 26th. The Navy's Honor Student program is designed to recognize only those students who excel professionally, academically and physically with consistent distinction. Airman Keil is currently stationed with the Navy's Strategic Communications Wing ONE unit at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Okla. as a structural mechanic where he works on the Navy's E-6 Mercury airplanes, which provide secure communication links to the United State Navy's submerged fleet of ballistic missile ...

There was a lot to celebrate at the conclusion of the 2014 Barton County Walk Kansas campaign. The eight week fitness challenge has become a signature program of K-State Research and Extension with nearly 20,000 participants state wide. Locally, 50 teams of six (300 participants) met or exceeded the goal of walking 423 miles, the distance across Kansas. An additional 75 people put their time in as well.

Articles by Section - Local Life

National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The theme for 2015 is "Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle" which encourages everyone to adopt eating and physical activity plans that are focused on consuming fewer calories, making informed food choices and getting daily exercise in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health.

Get a jump on the growing season by starting your favorite or hard to find plants indoors from seeds. Starting hard to find plants, like many of the heirloom or newly introduced varieties, from seed may be the only way you will be able to add these to your garden. Plus, you'll be extending the growing season and bringing the fun of gardening indoors.

February may be the shortest month of the year but it is an especially good time to recognize the importance of making lifestyle changes related to heart health. Is it true that you are what you eat? When it comes to heart health, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Eating the right way is not about dieting, which is really a temporary change in your eating habits to lose a few pounds; it is about making better choices every day so that they become second nature.